A rare piece of India`s royal heritage, `The Golconda Blue` — a historic diamond once owned by the Maharajas of Indore and Baroda — is set to make its auction debut at the Christie`s “Magnificent Jewels” sale in Geneva on May 14.
The 23.24-carat vivid blue diamond, mounted in a striking modern ring by celebrated Parisian designer JAR, is expected to fetch an estimated value between USD 35 and USD 50 million (Rs 300 – Rs 430 crore).
“Exceptional noble gems of this caliber come to market once in a lifetime. Over the course of its 259-year history, Christie`s has had the honour of offering some of the world`s most important Golconda diamonds, including the Archduke Joseph, the Princie, and the Wittelsbach.
“With its Royal heritage, extraordinary color, and exceptional size, `The Golconda Blue` is truly one of the rarest blue diamonds in the world,” Rahul GKadakia, Christie`s International head of Jewelry, said in a statement.
Hailed as one of the most important and rarest blue diamonds ever discovered, what makes the auction more significant for Indian audiences is its direct lineage to Indian royalty — and its origins in the legendary Golconda mines of present-day Telangana, renowned for producing the world`s most iconic diamonds.
According to Christie`s, `The Golconda Blue` once belonged to Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar II of Indore, a modernist monarch celebrated for his refined taste and cosmopolitan lifestyle during the 1920s and `30s.
In 1923, the Maharaja`s father commissioned a bracelet featuring this extraordinary blue diamond from the French house Chaumet, after he had earlier acquired the famed “Indore Pears” — the two significant Golconda diamonds — from the same jeweller, they informed.
A decade later, the Maharaja appointed Mauboussin as his official jeweler, who redesigned the royal collection and incorporated `The Golconda Blue` into a striking necklace alongside the famed Indore Pear diamonds.
The piece was immortalised in a portrait of the Maharani of Indore by French painter Bernard Boutet de Monvel, capturing a moment of Indo-European elegance at its peak.
In 1947, the diamond was acquired by famed New York jeweler Harry Winston, who set it in a brooch with a matching white diamond of equal size. That brooch later found its way to the Maharaja of Baroda, continuing its journey through India`s royal lineage before passing into private hands.
The live auction will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva.
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